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Re: Humidity Damage



The greatest danger from high humidity levels is the growth of mold.
Mold is everywhere; it is just waiting for the proper conditions to take
hold and grow.  The mold that feasts on archival and book materials will
germinate at humidity levels of 65-70% or above, so your collection is
in real danger.  Molds can also be hazardous to humans, so great care
must be taken by anyone working with an outbreak of mold.  Once mold
takes hold, the materials can never be restored to their original
condition.  Mold may go dormant, but it will never go away.  That is why
prevention is everything.

I found a lot of interesting articles and helpful sites at:

http://www.nedcc.org/
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/
http://www.ccaha.org

Rebecca Fitzgerald, CA
Mt. St. Mary's Archives & Dept. of Special Collections
Mt. St. Mary's College & Seminary
Emmitsburg, MD
301/447-5397
301/447-6868 (fax)
rfitzger@msmary.edu 

-----Original Message-----
From: Lloyd, Mary [mailto:MLloyd@DFWAIRPORT.COM]
Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2001 10:38 AM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Humidity Damage


        I am writing a request for a dehumidifier and need some good
words
in the justification to show that the materials will be damaged if kept
in
the present environment, with an average humidity of 72%. Does anybody
have
a formula, or some kind of documentation to show the damage to paper and
film?  How long before the damage is apparent?  I have some information
about electronic record storage, but nothing on paper.  I will
appreciate
any information you can give me from your vast experience.  I am new in
the
Archives business and am constantly learning how much I don't know, even
though I have 26 years experience as a Records Manager.

        Mary Ann Lloyd, CRM
        DFW Airport Records Center
        email:  mlloyd@dfwairport.com

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